Rurouni Kenshin: Years
by Kaze Kaoru
Summary: A fairly pointless tangent concerning the tentative peace following Enishi’s defeat. Volume 28, Acts 250 255 Finale . SPOILERS!
1. 1 One Week Later

YEARS

Greetings, dear reader! Though I've written fanfic before, this is the first one I've published. After watching the Seishouhen, my hopes and dreams for Kao and Ken were shattered, so I decided to go back to volume 28 and investigate. This tangent is pretty much pointless (as mentioned in the summary), but I tried my best to make it come to life in writing. Though the majority of the text is directly based on the 28th volume of manga, I fooled around with some things (like order of events) to make it flow better without the accompanying pictures. I advise that if you haven't read Jinchuu yet, don't read this story, because there's a lot of spoilers and it's much more exciting to read in the actual manga! I'm a new writer here, so constructive criticism is always welcome. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: As always, I revere Watsuki-sensei, RK's wonderful creator, because, no, sadly RK isn't mine.

SUMMARY: A fairly pointless tangent concerning the tentative peace following Enishi's defeat. Volume 28, Acts 250 255 (Finale). SPOILERS!

. . . .

**Y E A R S**

**1. One Week Later**

"So, how's the investigation going?"

The small glass _fusen_ chimed as a breeze flitted past. Summer was well underway, the noonday sun shining down from a pastel blue sky on Kamiya dojo and its occupants. Peace, in its way, had quietly settled over the dojo since the traumatic events of a week ago. Just a single week ago, life itself had seemingly been shattered after Kenshin's violent past had been revealed as it began to catch up with him. Yukishiro Enishi, his own brother-in-law, had murdered Kamiya Kaoru, the dojo's master, and Kenshin, broken, had disappeared.

"There is no change. Yukishiro Enishi is still missing." Aoshi, standing in the dojo's courtyard with Sanosuke, Misao, and Megumi, reported. "Even though he is nowhere to be found, the main objective of disabling the black market weapons organization has been achieved. However, the police are still looking for him as a matter of pride."

And yet—despite all evidence—Kaoru had lived, and Kenshin had rallied with his allies and defeated Enishi in battle. Kaoru was safe and sound, but Enishi had disappeared. Kenshin, however, finally seemed at peace within himself, and a tentative happiness was allowed to bloom in the aftermath of Enishi's disappearance. Now Enishi was the broken man.

"…Saitou Hajime," continued Aoshi, "says 'Yukishiro Enishi does not have the strength to kill a fly now. It's a waste of manpower to look for him.' and is planning to move to a new assignment."

It was the sort of thing Saitou would say. The tall, cynical man was merciless, but he was right, as usual. As a policeman, the cold justice of the _Shinsengumi_ lived on in him and had no evidence of ever leaving.

"Maybe…" said Misao, who was eating her way through a large slice of watermelon, "He's already dead? He jumped into the sea trying to escape and drowned!"

Sanosuke spit out his share of watermelon seeds. "I don't really care, as long as he doesn't go crazy and attack us again."

"AAAARGH!!" Misao looked over her shoulder in alarm as the sliding door behind her was thrown open. "Why are you two eating our watermelon?!"

Yahiko, steaming and covered in bandages beneath his _yukata_, made his appearance. Looking very worried, Tsubame appeared a few seconds later, wearing the vertical red stripes of the Akabeko's kimono and a frilly apron. "You shouldn't move around yet!"

"Where's mine?!" he yelled, completely ignoring Tsubame.

"There's none left." said Misao, nonchalantly finishing off the last piece. "Why would there be?"

"WHAT?!"

"Please stay quiet…" pleaded Tsubame. "Your wounds will reopen…"

"You just woke up," chided Sanosuke, "And you're already being so loud."

Yahiko ceased his tirade for a moment. "Wait, where's Kenshin?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Himura and Kaoru-san went to Kyoto." said Misao through her mouthful of watermelon.

"Oh, yeah."

"Himura-san never ceases to amaze me." continued Misao, now indicating Yahiko. "This little guy—"

"SHUT UP!"

"—collapsed when we got back, but Himura's already out and about. He's a practitioner of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu, so he must be built differently."

Unnoticed by the lively party squabbling over the watermelon, Megumi watches them, worried.

_That's not true. It's actually the opposite…_

. . . .

I'm sorry. That was a pathetically short chapter, I know. Please bear with me; the next chapter will be longer and have lots of juicy Ken-Kao-Tomoe discussion. See you in chapter 2.


	2. 2 'Thank You', 'Sorry', and 'Goodbye'

Hello again

Hello again. Thanks for bearing with me if you've bothered. The promise of Ken-Kao-Tomoe content has been delivered. And some stuff about Enishi thrown in too.

DISCLAIMER: Yup. I don't own it, so don't sue me. I don't have any money to give you. But Watsuki-sensei deserves every yen he gets.

. . . .

**Y E A R S**

**2. 'Thank You', and 'Sorry', and 'Goodbye'**

Somewhere in Kyoto, two figures stepped through the gate of a graveyard and into the same noonday summer sun that shone over Kamiya dojo in Tokyo. Blue sky above, a pagoda thrust into the skyline, and mountains in the distance. Birds sang, along with the sound of Kenshin and Kaoru's quiet footsteps.

Kenshin, walking a little ways ahead of Kaoru, wore a sling around his right arm, the one that had been shot during his battle with Enishi. As always, he carried his _sakabatou _at his left hip, and today, he carried a wooden bucket of chrysanthemums. Though he was still recovering, he walked with steady grace, head bowed, and Kaoru watched him from behind. He came to a sudden halt as they approached their destination—a small, unadorned grave—and Kaoru, who saw a split second later, stopped also.

Someone had been there before them, for, to either side of Tomoe's grave, there were buckets of flowers, and incense burned before it.

"…Has Yukishiro Enishi visited?" Kaoru wondered aloud. "The flowers, maybe?"

Kenshin's eyes were wide. Before the grave, there also rested a small hair ornament and a glass bottle of perfume.

"But this…"

The ornament, in the hands of Kiyosato, Tomoe's first love. And the perfume… _hakubaikou_… the scent of white plums, and blood draining over white snow…

_Who could it be? Someone other than Enishi… who is related to Tomoe…?_

"What's the matter, Kenshin?"

"Oh. It's nothing." Kaoru was looking worried, so he disregarded it.

For a time, the two sank into silence. Eyes closed, they prayed before Tomoe's grave, Kenshin standing with his left arm place before his chest, and Kaoru, kneeling with her hands together. They were praying before the grave of Yukishiro Tomoe, Kenshin's wife and first love, Enishi's sister. Tomoe, who died on a snowy night when a plan to kill Kenshin had unfolded, and gone wildly wrong. Tomoe, who watched over Kenshin through the long years of his wandering and the battles that followed. Because of her, Enishi, who had never forgiven Kenshin. And Kenshin, who had never forgiven himself.

"What did you say…" pondered Kenshin after some time, "to Tomoe?"

"Um. Well… 'Thank you' I guess." Kaoru basked in the sunlight, watching the grave thoughtfully. "During the _Jinchuu _thing and on the island, Enishi couldn't kill a woman who was the same age as Tomoe when she died, so he ended up sparing me."

Kenshin didn't reply, watching her, so she continued. "And so for that and many other reasons… 'Thank you'."

"Yukishiro Enishi." struck up Kaoru again, watching the grave. "Where did he disappear to? Enishi said 'The crime of murder is paid for by the punishment of death'. But if you think about it, he himself has killed numerous people, and he's sold weapons to people who had taken more lives." She trailed off. "He can't have… committed suicide, right…?"

Kenshin was distant. "No. He's probably alive." He continued. "Fifteen years ago, when time stopped for him, he never would have figured that out. But now, time has resumed moving for him. Enishi will have to pay for his crimes. Not with his death, but by living his life. Until he does, Tomoe will never smile. Unless he pays, and starts to smile himself, the Tomoe in his heart will never smile."

Kaoru lowered her gaze to her lap. "How painful."

"However…" continued Kenshin, causing Kaoru to look up, "The real Tomoe… is kinder than anyone or anything." Kenshin raised his face to the noonday sun, letting his hair fall over his closed eyes. "So she will watch over Enishi. She will watch him. Forever."

He smiled, suddenly, brining his gaze back down to Kaoru. "At least this one thinks so."

Kaoru smiled. "Yes. I think so to."

The two prepared to leave, placing their flowers over the grave to. "Hey, Kenshin." He blinked in surprise.

"What did _you _say… to Tomoe-san?"

Kenshin just smiles for a moment, hiding his eyes behind his hair.

"The same as you did. 'Thank you.' And 'Sorry.' And… "Goodbye."

Kaoru watched Kenshin with surprise. He was still smiling, and he held a hand out towards her.

"It's about time…" he said, "to go."

And Kaoru took his hand, and they walked, slowly, back the way they had come.

. . . .

"Aaaaaah. It's all good! It's all good! It's all—"

Oibore sang as he walked, wearing only rags and a straw hat with no top. He was one with the broken, the old-man-Oibore of the _Rakunin-mura_, the Fallen Village, watching the world go by through his cracked spectacles, and not caring. His home was the fallen village. He lived there, and he expected to die there. Today, however, he was met with a surprise. The surprise came in the form of a young man, crouched against a wall in an alleyway. At least, his face and body was that of a boy, but his unkempt hair was as white as Oibore's own, and the old man wasn't exactly young.

"You're a new face around here." Oibore seated himself beside the man, a few feet away. The boy did not reply. In his hands, Oibore noticed, he held a book.

"Hmm… is it just in my head, or have we met somewhere before?" Again, the man didn't bother to reply. He was covered in filth and blood, and he stared with empty eyes at the ground before him.

"Ha…" laughed the old man, "Sorry. It must be my mind playing tricks." Here, however, the young man looked up, and for the first time, he spoke.

"My mind must be playing tricks too. I've seen your face before."

"Hmm. This is interesting. We are acquainted by a mind trick." Oibore said, smiling so that his wrinkled face folded even more so. He continued. "Well, what you have lost and why you are so beat up… I have no intention of asking such things. You will not throw away that book," he said, indicating the one Enishi held, "and so, like him, you will not become a resident of this filthy village, and some day will stand and leave this place." Oibore's words resounded in the silence between them, as the noonday sun beat down on their unprotected heads.

"Until then, think of this as a kind of fate…"

_The real Tomoe…_

"…And take your time and rest."

…_is kinder than anyone or anything… so she will watch over Enishi. She will watch over him…_

Japan's summer sun shone down on everyone, whatever their intentions, whatever their past, whatever their future. It shone with the gentle ferocity of a smile, a smile which could cross the face of anyone. A smile that once crossed the face of Tomoe, beloved of Kenshin and Enishi.

_Forever… _

. . . .

I adore that act so much that the spine of my book is bent white there. Though not the last episode of the entire manga, it is regarded in Watsuki's own words as the last chapter of the _Jinchuu-_hen. I was just itching to get that down on paper (er, well, the computer) for so long…! I really hope you enjoyed it!

But, nope, it ain't over quite yet. Please bear with me for the next chapter, which will concern all those of the Kenshin-gumi…


	3. 3 Last Rival

Hello again

Hello again. Chapter three; a little tangent mainly concerning Kenshin and Saitou… maybe a little Ken-Kao included also… Time is flying and it's already autumn—about a year has passed since Kenshin started living at Kamiya dojo (Just a year? It seems much longer!). Interestingly, Kenshin himself narrates a good deal of this chapter, including the closing remarks. Act 252. This will be a long chapter. Please enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. It is Watsuki-sensei's, and Shonen Jump's, and Viz's, and so on and so forth…

. . . .

**Y E A R S**

**3. Last Rival**

At times, the flow of people turns into a roaring current.

"You're going back to Aizu?!"

An anonymous individual from ages past coined the phrase _time flies_, which has become such a cliché in today's language that no one really takes it seriously anymore. But it's true, and we all know it. Such was the general outcry at Gensai-sensei's clinic one autumn afternoon, as 'the Kenshin-gumi', slipper-clad, could not believe what Megumi had just told them.

"Why so suddenly…?" asked Kaoru, more quietly.

"It's not like I decided this today." chided Megumi. "I have had offers to open a clinic in Aizu. This last incident seems to have come to a close, and my treatment of Ken-san and Yahiko-kun is almost over. I plan to leave Tokyo in a week." Indeed, Yahiko was now as energetic as ever, and Kenshin had only a few bandages visible beneath his _gi_.

Though all in the room—even Sanosuke—were now looking a little gloomy, Kenshin summoned a smile. "It will be a bit lonely around here, but it is Megumi-dono's decision. Those of Kamiya dojo will gladly send you off."

"Thank you very much." Megumi thanked Kenshin, though herself looking somewhat troubled. For a time there was silence, until Megumi continued, cautiously.

"Also… Ken-san… there is something I have been hiding from you, but as a doctor… I must tell you this…"

At times, the flow of people turns into a roaring current. Thinking back, Megumi-dono's decision may have triggered it all…

. . . .

Two figures stood in the sunlight before one of Tokyo's police offices. The smaller man yawned widely.

"This is so boring. I wish a fight or two would happen."

"Hey!" the older and larger of the two scolded his junior. "Shinichi! What an impudent thing to say!" Shinichi laughed.

"Sorry, sorry. The last fight was so shocking, I just had to... But weren't you filled with a policeman's call to duty?! Wasn't it satisfying?! Well?"

"No way! I don't want anything to do with it! I could die in that kind of battle!"

But Shinichi's concentration had already switched to the figure walking up the road.

"HIMURA-SENSEI!!"

The figure nearly fell over, but recovered and approached the gate, still a little disoriented. "Um… you are…?"

"Shinichi Kosaburou, fifth officer!" said Shinichi, snapping into attention and saluting Kenshin.

"So, Shinichi-dono, why the 'sensei' thing?"

"Yes! I have heard stories from the chief! I believe all of the Ishin Shishi are my teachers!"

"Oh. Well. Good timing. This one wears a sword, so it is hard to just walk inside." Said Kenshin, handing a folded paper to the officer. "Take this."

"I wouldn't expect it to be a problem for you. Is this a letter?"

"Yes. Please deliver it to Lieutenant Fujita…"

. . . .

"From Battousai?"

Chou, carefully cleaning one of his many swords, watched Saitou as he read a letter in his book-filled office. "Is it a thank-you letter for the past fight or something?"

Saitou took another long drag on his cigarette before flicking the paper indifferently in Chou's direction. "You want to read it?"

"Hmm. What's this?" Chou skimmed over the letter, his eyes growing wide. "Whoa. This is…"

"Heh. Isn't it interesting?"

"This is no joke." Chou was sweating. "This means…"

Saitou didn't bother to finish his assistant's sentence. He lay, relaxed, against the office's couch, but his eyes were narrowed.

. . . .

_There is something I have been hiding from you, but as a doctor… I must tell you this… _

"Is it… about this one's body?"

Shock registered on the faces of all present in the little clinic in which Kenshin and Megumi sat facing each other, including Megumi herself. "You knew about it…?"

"It is this one's body, so a little." Said Kenshin, addressing the room at large. "Things first began to feel different shortly after the battle in Kyoto. And the feeling increased after every battle. The feeling was so slight it could easily be ignored. But there has been a… murky… feeling in this one's body."

"It's true." Said Megumi, contemplating the floor. "Between my examination of you in Kyoto and now, your body has deteriorated."

"Acquiring the secret was probably the trigger for the change." Kenshin's eyes were distant.

"Even someone with Hiko Seijuurou's size and physique can barely use the original Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu _kenjutsu_." Continued Megumi. "Ken-san's body is too small to be able to harness it completely. No matter how talented you are the effects of using it are cumulative, and it should have been obvious that it would chip away at your strength."

To her surprise, Kenshin smiled. "Is that right…? But… all this was considered in the decision to learn Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu. There is not even a speck of regret. Please be honest…" he continued, "What will happen now?"

Megumi clenched the front of her kimono as she spoke. "The damage to your body is still minimal. If you take it easy, wielding swords won't be a problem. But… no matter how careful you are, in four or five years… it will become impossible for you to use Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu."

Silence descended on the room like snow falling. Kenshin, however, had other thoughts.

_Before that happens… this one must settle a very important score. The only man who survived, running through the age of burning fields… the last rival…_

. . . .

"Wow. The moon's already in the east. Just a while ago, the sun wouldn't be setting until now."

Sanosuke and the others stood in Kamiya dojo's courtyard, watching the night sky, while he thought out loud. "Summer is almost over."

"Dinner's ready." Kaoru emerged from the dojo. "Huh? Where's Kenshin?"

Misao, appearing with Kaoru, noticed the missing individual too. "What? He's not home yet? How irresponsible! Want me to go find him?"

Kaoru smiled at Misao's eagerness, but turned her offer down. "No, it's okay. A lot has happened today. Kenshin must want some time alone."

"Don't worry about him." Yahiko added. "This is the only place he'll come home to."

"Right." Kaoru, reassured, smiled widely. "So let's go and eat."

. . . .

Wind whistled through the now bare treetops as the moon, full, looked down at an empty field shrouded in darkness. At the center of that field, a small figure perched atop a stone watched as a pocket watch ticked away the seconds until midnight.

Positioned where she could see it, a small wooden clock counted down the minutes as the hour hand neared the twelve. Kaoru glanced at it from time to time, alone in her room in Kamiya dojo with the bed empty beside her, and continued mending one of the yukata, wondering, all the while, why her rurouni hadn't come home.

The tall clock in Saitou's office loudly tolled twelve just as Chou entered the room.

"What?! What are you doing?!"

Saitou, standing by the window, turned. "What do you want at a time like this?"

"What are you doing here?! It's way past time for your duel! _Hurry!_"

"Hmph." Saitou turned his back on Chou and dragged on his cigarette. "Who said I'd accept?"

"_What?!_"

"The man I want to settle the score with is Hitokiri Battousai and not _that_ man." Said Saitou, spitting '_that_ man' out as if it were a curse. "A wolf is a wolf. Shinsen-gumi is Shinsen-gumi. And a hitokiri is a hitokiri. That's what I thought, but I must have read it wrong."

"Himura Kenshin and Hitokiri Battousai are the same person. I don't get it." Chou was still eyeing Saitou as if the taller man was out of his mind.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I will get no joy out of settling the score with a Hitokiri who never kills." Saitou crushed his cigarette into a dish already piled high with the ashes of his former ones. "That is all."

A gust of wind blew through Saitou's open window with such force that the papers on his desk and around his office blew across the room and fell, scattering like snow. Though Chou was startled, Saitou made no move and simply lit himself another cigarette, letting his match fall to the floor. He glared out the window with the ferocity of a wolf, dragging on his cigarette before letting the smoke hiss out through his barely parted lips.

"Fool."

. . . .

The autumn sun rose, quietly, over Tokyo. It shone on Kamiya dojo; it shone on the Akabeko. It shone on an empty field.

"Kaoru-dono."

It shone, through the paper windows, on Kaoru.

"You will catch a cold if you sleep there…"

Kaoru's eyes fluttered open, and she was surprised to find herself asleep sitting upright where she had dozed off mending clothes last night.

"Okaerinasai!" she said, brightening at the sight of Kenshin.

"Tadaima."

Kaoru groaned, rose from where she had dozed off fully clothed, and limped off. "If you can wait a little, I'll get breakfast ready right away!" Kenshin watched her go.

"Himura."

Aoshi, who was staying at the dojo with Misao after the events of Jinchuu, approached Kenshin wearing yukata he had probably been meditating in earlier. "Did you settle it?"

Kenshin smiled. "It seems I have been given up on…"

After a while… We heard the news that 'Fujita Goro' moved out of Uramura-shitsuchou's department.

Ex Shinsen-gumi captain of the 3rd Unit. Saitou Hajime…

This was how the last wolf with fangs disappeared. We never shared that justice ever again… the justice of swift death to evil…

…_Aku Soku Zan_…

. . . .

So Saitou Hajime departs from the Rurouni Kenshin stage, seemingly forever. Interestingly, Saitou Hajime of real Japanese history is said to have lived to a ripe old age and died of a natural death after working as a security guard and a _schoolteacher_ (Can you imagine that?! Must be like your least favorite English teacher with "Swift Death to Evil!" on the brain!!). Omoshiroi.

The next chapter will concern Misao and Aoshi… though the second half of it will also bring about sniff the final, bittersweet future of our protagonists. Please stay tuned! Gokitaikudasai! (Hopefully I spelled that right…)


	4. 4 Early Spring Sunshine

DISCLAIMER: I did not create Ruroken. What a pity.

Act 253 coming up; then it's only one more chapter 'till the finale (!!). Please enjoy it!

While in Japan, I actually had the pleasure of trying the popular pastry _castella _(called 'kasutera' in Japanese), which is somewhat like sponge cake. (Castella is mentioned in this chapter. During Meiji, it was likely a 'Western-style' treat… I'm a little surprised Kenshin new about it…)

. . . .

**Y E A R S**

**4. Early Spring Sunshine**

"What?"

The question hovered like a soap bubble over Kamiya dojo's courtyard as all present stared towards yukata-clad Aoshi, standing at the porch and looking grim as usual, waiting for the bubble to pop. Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, and Misao were hanging the laundry out to dry, while Sanosuke, who had declined, held Kenshin's sakabato as the smaller man worked. All progress, however, had stopped after Aoshi's words.

"We are going back to Kyoto." Repeated Aoshi. "It is a good time."

"A good time…?" wondered Kenshin aloud, but his words were drowned out by a torrent of begging from Misao.

"Nani Nani NANI?! Why? We haven't even been to Asakusa or Ginza yet!"

"We will leave with Takani Megumi. That way there will only be one send-off." Said Aoshi, utterly unmoved by Misao's protests. Though Sano and Yahiko were of course 'not supposed to care', Kaoru was looking very downcast.

_It's always very hard, _she thought, _to understand what he is thinking. Aoshi…_

. . . .

Crickets chirped under the spring stars, and fireflies danced through the grass along Tokyo's avenues. Though the evening was beautiful, Misao didn't care in the least, and was instead submerged in depression. Lying on the tatami in her room, she didn't bother to look up when Kaoru entered.

"Misao-chan, this is a gift to Okina-san and everyone else." Misao responded only with a slight sigh. "Where's Aoshi-san?"

"Himura came, and he and Aoshi-sama just went out. They were saying something about tea." Misao sighed again. "I don't want to go home."

Kaoru patted Misao over the head comfortingly, while she wondered aloud. "Tea?"

Misao ignored her. "I want to play some more!"

_If you make tea, though… I will join you—eventually. _

"Oh…" Kaoru understood.

. . . .

Kenshin sipped his tea slowly, holding the warm clay cup gently between his hands. Aoshi sat across him, the spring symphony of crickets playing through the open doors of their room. With a contented sigh, Kenshin lowered his cup to his lap and began what would likely be a largely one-sided conversation.

"I apologize for the sudden notice. But if the opportunity passes, who knows when the next time will be?"

"Yes."

"You did quite a lot in the last fight." he continued patiently. "Thank you."

"Yes."

"Even if they practice the dark arts… try not to kill anyone."

The unexpected question took Aoshi by surprise, or as much surprise as you can usually take Aoshi by. He put down his cup.

"So you see through it all." Aoshi, and behind his bangs, he closed his eyes. "Let's just say… I understand."

. . . .

Aoshi slid open the paper door, ducking through the doorway due to his height. Kaoru, carrying a tray of pastries, was passing outside, Misao following her dejectedly.

"I have snacks—" she said, but was cut off.

"No need. We are done."

"But I want to thank you for—"

"Himura already thanked us."

Cut off a second time by Aoshi's cold, abrupt refusals, Kaoru couldn't help but think that she couldn't fathom the man at all. Kenshin, after replacing his sakabatou to his belt from where it had been resting on the floor beside him, left the room and brightened at the sight of Kaoru and the tray of cake.

"Ah! 'Castella'!"

"Yup. Want some?" Kenshin gladly took a portion for himself. Misao trailed Aoshi as the tall man walked off down the hallway. "Hey Aoshi-sama. Are we _really _leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Aoshi," Kenshin interjected, taking pity on Misao, "Listen to Misao-dono. Spend some more time here." He said, munching through his slice of castella. "This is good!"

"Himura!" cried Misao in delight. Kaoru continued. "Yes! What if Misao-chan stays here for a while longer?" she offered the castella dish to Misao. "Want some, Misao?"

"Kaoru-san!" she cried again in delight, but Aoshi, with his back to the group, spoke.

"The seasons in the mountains change earlier than on the plains. If we wait much longer the ground will freeze, and we will have to wait until spring."

"What?" Kenshin and Kaoru watched in bewilderment, while Misao's eyes grew wide. Aoshi continued, his back still to the group.

"We have to bury them somewhere sunny before then."

Silence briefly descended on the courtyard, before Misao slapped her hands together with renewed energy and bowed in Kenshin and Kaoru's direction.

"Himura, Kaoru-san. Gomennasai! I am going to go home with everyone."

Kaoru was looking astounded, but Kenshin smiled knowingly. Was it a trace of a smile he saw playing on Aoshi's lips? "Yes," he said, "That is probably the best."

Misao dashed off after her Aoshi-sama, calling his name. Kaoru and Kenshin watched them go.

"I see…" pondered Kaoru aloud. "When I think about it, Aoshi has also been through a cruel past that no one can really understand."

"Very true." Replied Kenshin, watching Aoshi as he and Misao rounded the corner of the dojo. "His awkward personality is probably influenced by it…"

_But…_ thought Kenshin, _But even though others may not see it, he holds it in his hands. The place of peace. The Oniwaban-shu, those who fell and those who survived, are Misao-dono and Aoshi's family, and they live in one another's hearts. The place where there is a flourishing flower of love…_

. . . .

_The following day was a day of partings. First Aoshi-san and Misao-chan left first thing in the morning… and…_

"It was only for a short while… but thank you… for everything."

…_Megumi-san departs. _

Megumi stood, brave and alone, amidst the strangers of Shinbashi station. Kenshin, Sanosuke, Kaoru, and Yahiko were there with her to see her off, standing with varying expressions of sadness or indifference, in the case of one chicken-head. Kaoru, especially, watched Megumi with something almost akin to regret. How Kaoru had _loathed_ Megumi when she first came to live at Kamiya-dojo, but yet, standing here and watching Megumi leave, Kaoru felt as if Megumi had become part of her very own family.

"If anything should occur that involves you needing a doctor, please contact me here." Said Megumi, handing Kenshin a note. "I'll come as soon as I can."

"Thank you," said Kenshin, "but when that time comes, this one and friends will come to you, if possible." He smiled. "It is a doctor's duty to help those who are sick and wounded. But you will find joy as well as duty."

Megumi smiled also. "Yes. I'll do my best."

She then turned her attention to Kaoru. "And for you… take this. There are medications and prescriptions for when Ken-san and the rest might get hurt…" Megumi trailed off, watching Kaoru. "Kaoru-chan! Why are you all depressed? I thought you didn't like me."

"I didn't."

"_Hey_!"

"But with all these partings…"

Sanosuke came over, patting Kaoru, who was at least two feet shorter, on the head. "Hey, don't get down. It's only Aizu. You can get there in a day."

"Only you can!" said Megumi, indignantly.

"And," continued Sanosuke, "You'll be going to Kyoto once a year to visit Tomoe's grave. You can go see anyone if you want to." Sanosuke, with a fishbone protruding from the side of his mouth, spoke surprisingly gently. "This isn't goodbye."

"Every once in a long while, you have something good to say." Megumi said with sarcasm. Sano replied indignantly. "I always have something good to say!"

"Come to Aizu when your right hand starts acting up." Said Megumi, now speaking to Sano. "I'll take a look for you."

"Why," Sanosuke smiled, looking over his shoulder as he joined Kenshin, who was watched the group with a smile before returning his attention to watching the crowds that passed through the station. "Thank you."

Megumi returned her attention to Kaoru, handing her the medicine chest filled with remedies for all the cuts and bruises that Kamiya dojo's warriors might collect. "There you go. You need to lose the somber face." Kaoru watched the older woman in surprise as Megumi continued.

"Ken-san chose you. Not Tomoe-san, or me. Smiles are the best medicine for Ken-san's scars. So if at all times… you watch over Ken-san with smiles, one day…" she trailed off.

"Megumi-san…"

"Before and after the Kyoto battles, and now this. It seems like I scold you a lot!" Megumi, being much taller, also patted Kaoru over the head, joking. "I always play the bad cop."

She turned to Kenshin and the rest of the party, bowing low. "Well, everyone. Take care."

"Yes…" said Kaoru, "Take care."

_Just like that…_

Megumi's black lacquered _geta_ clacked across the stone of Shinbashi station, Tokyo, her long black hair swinging behind her, unrestrained.

_Just like that, Megumi-san left… and didn't even turn around once. Anyone could see… what a graceful, elegant woman she was. I don't know when I will see her next. But until then… I need to grow up some more._

. . . .

So Megumi departs, and Kaoru realizes she needs to mature. It is a bit of a sad thing; early in the series Kaoru is such an innocent, light, fluffy personality who got upset easily and didn't _really_ know how to deal with her feelings. By the end of the series, she is a strong woman who watches over and supports Kenshin faithfully, always wearing a smile. But this 'smiles are Kenshin's best medicine' somewhat takes away Kaoru's innocence, and she becomes someone, who, like Kenshin, hides any pain she feels behind a smiling mask (the Seishouhen made a big point of that; it was one of the things that made it so unbearable sad I cried).

But more partings are in store. Kenshin knew well that, though it would be lonely, not all the Kenshin gumi could stay together forever. The next chapter mainly concerns Sanosuke, and is narrated by Yahiko. Though they would rather die than admit it, Sano and Yahiko view one another rather like brothers; Yahiko looks up to Sano, Sano keeps an eye on Yahiko and looks forward to his future.

Pfft. Gotta go do my math homework grumble grumble See you in the next chapter. Please look forward to it!


	5. 5 Breaking Free

No one so far has bothered to review

Chapter 5 here; I split Act 253 in two so that Sanosuke's departure would all be in one chapter. Please enjoy!

. . . .

**Y E A R S**

**5. Breaking Free**

"There he is! That's him! Stop right there, you!"

The peaceful Tokyo street was soon split by cries as two policemen came dashing through the crowd. While not entirely something the Kenshin gumi were unaccustomed to, could they help but be a little alarmed that the policemen were running in _their _direction?

"Are they talking about us?" Sanosuke watched the approaching policemen without budging an inch.

"Maybe it's about this?" Yahiko indicated Kenshin's sakabatou, strapped to his belt despite the sword-banning act. "Oh, shoot," Kenshin looked down at it as if he had just noticed it. "That's right."

The policemen, tromping steadily closer, were now pointing in the Kenshin gumi's direction. "You, the tall one! You, the bird-head!"

"Me?" Sanosuke continued watching the policemen, looking simply puzzled. He and the others looked around in alarm as Kaoru screamed. "What is _this_?!"

She was pointing to a sign not far away, posted on a wooden notice board. Across the top was written, in rather large print:

W A N T E D

And below, there was a sketch that looked very much like Sagara Sanosuke indeed.

"Oh." Sano spoke nonchalantly. "It must be because of what happened in Shinshuu. So now I'm wanted."

"What?!"

Unfortunately, the Kenshin gumi didn't have much time to digest the news, because the policemen were now on top of them. The next second, however, the policemen were reeling back in pain after their faces had come in contact with Sanosuke's fists.

"Don't call me names," he said, "Without knowing the whole story." Looking over his shoulder, though, Sanosuke found himself facing a much larger crowd. "Great. The whole precinct's here." He said, as though it was an everyday annoyance.

"Sanosuke, what is this?!"

"I guess for me, this _is _goodbye for good."

"Sanosuke?!"

"I can't get arrested now. I'm gonna hide for a while."

"SANOSUKE!" Kaoru cried after the retreating figure, but Sano was already dashing down the street, and soon, he rounded a corner and vanished from sight.

. . . .

_We heard the details of Sagara Sanosuke's charges from Uramura-shitsuchou the following day. Marked unexpectedly as a wanted criminal, Sanosuke fled suddenly, and without any word, he went missing._

"Until Sanosuke comes out of hiding, we can't do anything!"

One week had passed without a word and Yahiko was enraged by Sanosuke's sudden flight. Kaoru replied calmly as Kenshin watched silently. "The police haven't caught him yet, and there's no sign that he has returned to the Gorotsuki long house."

"Wanted?!" Yahiko exclaimed for the umpteenth time, "They need to investigate who was in the wrong! Sanosuke wouldn't fight without a reason."

"Yes," Kaoru replied, treading the same path of conversation she and Yahiko had been all week. "Uramura-shitsuchou agrees, and is doing what he can. But it seems to be difficult… the yakuza are easy, but Shitsuchou can't do anything about Sanosuke seriously wounding an Ishin Shishi…"

"Why did Sanosuke keep this from us?"

"This is Sanosuke's personal issue." Kenshin spoke up for the first time. "IF he talks about it, this one will do something. But he probably didn't want that."

"Yes, but…"

"If this one waves the name 'Hitokiri Battousai' the matter will be settled with one word. That is the same method that Tani, who Sanosuke attacked, used. Sano despises fawning. He will not hesitate to harm anyone he thinks is in the wrong… and he will take care of his actions on his own. That is the kind of man he is."

Kaoru and Yahiko had to agree; what Kenshin had said was true.

"Kenshin. You're stricter with Sanosuke." Yahiko observed.

"Perhaps… but he is a grown man." Kenshin smiled. "Fights are normally not something this one embraces, and Sanosuke hates Ishin Shishi, but the two of us still get along just fine. There were many comrades this one shared philosophies and front lines with… but none were quite like him."

_Sagara Sanosuke. Where did he go? Until that day, we could only wait and see if he would ever reappear. But…_

"Excuse me…"

Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko, who were sitting in the dojo's courtyard late in the evening, looked around in surprise. An unfamiliar man stood, or rather, crouched, near the fence surrounding the dojo. He looked about himself furtively before speaking, quietly.

"You… you're Sano's friends, right? Please follow me, quietly. Sano-san is waiting."

_The three of us followed the man as with our hearts pounding. What we found…_

"Hey. Long time no see."

"Sanosuke!"

Standing relaxed near a small dock, a tiny boat beside him, was Sanosuke, cocky as usual. He simply laughed at their looks of surprise.

"I'm sailing out," he said, "saying goodbye to small Japan and going to see the world. There's a ship waiting for me on the coast that I've arranged to stow away on." And laughed again as Kaoru and Yahiko burst into cries of surprise and objection. All looked up with alarm as a whistle blew, loud and clear, through the night.

"Sano-san!" one of Sanosuke's friends stumbled onto the dock, nearly out of breath. "They've found us! The police!" Indeed, in the distance, they could hear the sound of approaching boots on Tokyo's cobblestones. Instinctively, Kenshin's hand moved to the sakabatou, Yahiko's to his shinai, and Sanosuke slipped into an adjoining alleyway. And yet…

"There he is! Over there!"

The Kenshin gumi looked on in astonishment, because there was Chief Uramura, and he was in fact pointing in the opposite direction of where Sanosuke had been just moments before. He turned to them, and almost imperceptibly, winked.

Sanosuke emerged from his alley. "What happened? They aren't coming?"

Kenshin replied with a faint smile. "It's fine. The chief made a… mistake… so we're safe."

"A mistake, eh… Well. If he made a mistake, that's that." Sanosuke walked nonchalantly onto the dock, the others following suit. "I'll head out while they're busy."

"Sanosuke…" Kaoru was already looking slightly downcast. "Are you really leaving?"

"Yeah, but I'll try not to make it goodbye for good." He smiled playfully in Kaoru's direction. "Have a few kids with Kenshin and introduce them to me when I get back."

"Wh-what are you saying?!"

"And Yahiko," said Sanosuke, ignoring Kaoru's protests and Kenshin's rather sheepish wincing from the sidelines, "You'll be in the way at the dojo, so leave. I left the Gorotsuki long house the way it was, and you can have it."

Yahiko, however, was looking stony. "What are you going to do?"

The remark caught Sanosuke slightly off guard, paired with Yahiko's glare. The boy continued. "If you tuck your tail and run, the people in power get their way. People like Tani! They might act up and try something shifty again! Will the character of 'Aku' on your back be satisfied with that?!"

Sanosuke, to Yahiko's surprise, was smiling again. "If you feel that way… do you want to carry it on your shoulders for a while?"

"What?"

Sanosuke placed one of his large and callused hands on Yahiko's head, well below Sanosuke's own height, ruffling the younger boy's unruly hair. "You don't get it? I'm just saying… Kenshin isn't the only one looking forward to your future."

Yahiko's gaze widened into surprise, and Sanosuke stepped away from him to stand before Kenshin. For a few seconds, the two stood facing one another, watching each other with appreciation of their friendship.

"Sanosuke."

"Kenshin. I'm going."

"Alright."

And just like that, Sanosuke stepped into his boat, and rowed, slowly, away. Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko watched him go, sad but smiling.

_Sagara Sanosuke broke free of small Japan…_

At last, Kaoru spoke. "It's turned out just like you said it would, Kenshin."

_Out into the wildernesses of the world._

"Hmm?"

"You said that Megumi-san and Sanosuke and everyone else would someday walk their own path… leading to their separate lives. But you said that these are not goodbyes… they are not the end, but the beginning."

_That night, Yahiko swore 'to someday catch up to Sanosuke's back,_

"Yes," Kenshin answered, "so it is a little lonely, but we have to bear it."

_Which bears the character for evil…'_

And so time has passed, into the 15th Year of Meiji.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d

. . . .

I had a hard time writing this chapter (for one thing, I kept on getting interrupted), but I tried my best so I hope it's up to scratch. The next one is the last (Act 255), as I don't think I'll be doing Haru Ni Sakura or going any farther than that… whatever you do, please try to read this last chapter because it's the one I wanted most to write…

BIG big big thank you to scarred sword heart, my first, and so far, only reviewer! And also to my 259+ hits… I have no idea who you are or what you thought of it, but thanks for checking it out anyways.

See you in the next chapter; I'll try not to take a long time like with this last one!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey there, sorry for the wait

Hey there, sorry for the wait. School's starting. Kaoru presents the last chapter (255, not counting Haru ni Sakura or Kenshin Kaden and Yahiko no Sakabatou etc.) of the acclaimed manga _Rurouni Kenshin_, authored by, DISCLAIMER, the great Watsuki Nobuhiro-sensei (hence, it's not mine). But you don't want to hear the mundane ramblings of my life, so I'll shut up. I hope you enjoy it!

. . . .

**Y E A R S**

**6. Toward a New Era**

"Please, let me through. I'm in the middle of an errand…"

Four Years Later…

Meiji 15 (1882)

Tsubame found herself backing up slowly, until she found herself pressed into a wall. The three men surrounding her, none of them looking particularly well-meaning, closed in slowly, also. "Don't say that…" said the largest of the three, his voice a little too quiet for Tsubame's liking. On top of that, he was holding what looked suspiciously like a concealed sword. "Come with us…"

"Yes, but…" Tsubame began to sweat.

"Tsubame isn't the social type to have friendly chats with _goons_," said a rather irritated voice behind the man, accompanied by footsteps. "But I'd be happy to chat with you guys."

"Who are you!?" Without bothering to for an answer, the large man turned, unsheathed what _was _a concealed blade, and brought it down on the speaker's head.

Unfortunately, the speaker wasn't particularly in the mood for this, and instead, the large man found his blade carefully suspended between the knuckles of an angry looking young man. He blinked in surprise, but Tsubame, though also surprised, brightened. "Yahiko-kun!"

The large man and his two friends froze. "The acting instructor of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryuu dojo?!" Yahiko stood, glaring at them, with his opponent's blade still held between his fingers. "Myoujin Yahiko, _the one who's caught a thousand blades_?!"

"I guess I don't need to introduce myself." Yahiko continued glaring. "What should we chat about?" The three men never answered, because they dashed out into the street. Yahiko sighed, watching them go.

"Wow…" said Tsubame, "Your name and a glare is enough… If must be true when they say you are in the top five in East Japan."

"What? Who the heck said that?"

"That's the word on the street, anyway."

"Well, it's wrong." Yahiko pouted. "My skills are _second _in Japan (Of course Kenshin's the first)."

"I guess confidence is a good thing…" Tsubame laughed. Yahiko was nearly fifteen now, taller, and cockier. He had outgrown his previous hakama and traded them in for a larger size, along with an open-sleeved gi which carried _Aku_, the character for evil, embroidered along the hem by special request. Across his back was slung a long wooden bokken.

"By the way," Yahiko snapped suddenly, "Take a look at yourself! When you walk around like that, you're just asking for trouble!!" Tsubame looked down at herself as if she had only just noticed what she was wearing: a western-style dress with a shockingly short skirt and puffy sleeves, accompanied by an apron.

"Oh… But this is the Akabeko's new uniform. It's the selling point this summer."

"That place is getting weirder all the time (Watsuki's taste?)."

"Well… I suppose…" Tsubame laughed. "But thanks for helping me. I'll treat you to a meal at the Akabeko as a thank-you."

"I wish I could, but I have to go to the dojo today. How about after?"

"Okay. What is it? Training as usual?"

"I don't know for sure." Yahiko smiled, proudly. "Kenshin called me in today."

. . T – O – W – A – R – D - - A - - N – E – W - - E – R – A . .

"Hello! Acting Instructor, Myoujin Yahiko, here—"

Yahiko stepped through the door of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu Kenjutsu Dojo, announcing his arrival as he entered the front courtyard. But in the next second, he was interrupted by what sounded like loud crying from above. On the roof just above the doorway, a tiny little red-haired boy in lopsided yukata was bawling his discomfort to the world.

"Oh. Kenji. Did you climb up and get too scared to come down again?" Yahiko sighed, taking out his bokken and carefully snagging the back of the little boy's yukata with the tip. He held the boy—now safe and quiet—at arm's length, dangling off the end of his bokken. "Sheesh," he said, "You look like a little Kenshin on the outside, but inside, you are just plain stupid. It's troubling for the successor of Kamiya dojo to be like this—OUCH!!"

"HEY!!"

Again, Yahiko was interrupted, this time as a wooden shoe slammed into the side of his face.

"You're messing with my kid again! I'm going to get mad!!" Kaoru emerged from the dojo, missing one of her geta. Not far behind her, Kenshin also emerged, smiling jovially.

"Who was messing with who!? I saved him!!" said Yahiko, indicating the tiny boy, who was now smiling happily in his mother's direction.

"Oh, really." Kaoru plucked him off of Yahiko's bokken, taking him into her arms. "Aw, it's okay. You must have been scared."

"Apologize to me first!" said Yahiko, indignantly.

"Sorry to have summoned you on such a hot day, Yahiko."

Kaoru had visibly matured—her hair and clothing were simpler, if more elegant, and (well, besides the shoe-throwing) she had effectably developed into the doting mother that little Kenji so loved. But Kenshin, smiling calmly at nothing in particular, had changed little over the years, save for his hair, which was now only chin-length.

"It's no problem." Yahiko, Kenshin, and Kaoru and Kenji entered the dojo. Along the wall once bare, there were now rows of names, written onto wooden panels. _Master, Kamiya Kaoru, Acting Instructor(s), Myoujin Yahiko, Tsukayama Yutarou, Students, Shinichi Kosaburou, Higashidani Outa… _"If it's about adding more outside teaching, though," continued Yahiko, indicating the wall packed with names, "I can't do any more on my own."

"It's time for a match, Yahiko." Yahiko turned in surprise as Kenshin drew the sakabatou from his belt. "One point match."

"Yahiko." Kaoru said, "Don't you remember what day it is? Your fifteenth birthday. You must have heard of the tradition. In the past, Samurai became adults at fifteen…"

_A ceremony called _Genpaku_._ _If you plan to be a swordsman, remember it. _Yahiko froze, remembering Sanosuke's words so many years ago. _I see…_ _Kenshin wants to test me, to see if I have matured. _He thought, sweat beading on his forehead. _This energy! This pressure! Even though he can't use Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu any more, he still is the legendary swordsman._

Kenshin's eyes were narrowed slightly into the glare he assumed when fighting, standing relaxed but alert with his hand on his sword, but he spoke gently. "Don't worry. From the time you first chose the path of swords… remember all the battles you have witnessed. The battles you have seen… the battles you have heard… the battles you have fought."

The quiet, precise words sent Yahiko into shock as he remembered the ample violence and exhilaration of those days of battle seething through his memory. From the earliest days he knew Kenshin, to Sanosuke once known as Zanza, to Jin-e and the Oniwabanshu's slaughter at the hands of Kanryuu, to Kenshin fighting Raijuta over Yutarou's body. He had witnessed the terror of Kenshin's hitokiri days come alive as he fought Saitou Hajime, former Shinsengumi and Wolf of Mibu, in a match to the death. Heard the tales of bravery when Sanosuke and Kenshin brought down first Chou, then Anji, Aoshi, Tenken no Soujirou, and finally, Makoto Shishio, on mount Hiei in Kyoto, and himself participated in defending the Aoiya against the fearsome Juppongatana; nearly having met his death at the hands of the giant Fuji, if not for Kenshin's Shishou, Hiko Seijurou. And finally, Yahiko had lived through the very days when all time had seemingly ground to a halt after the tragedy of Kenshin's past had been revealed, Kaoru's violent murder and Kenshin's disappearance, all at the hands of Yukishiro Enishi, Kenshin's brother-in-law. And now, the days of peace, and here stood Yahiko, reliving it all.

"Remember all that you have felt in these battles." Kenshin continued, "Put it in a swords strike, and unleash it."

Yahiko pulled out his bokken, snapping into position with the bokken parallel to the ground. Both locked gazes.

"Kaoru-dono." Kenshin didn't look away from Yahiko, but to his right, Kaoru raised her right hand, Kenji supported with her left. With one swift stroke, she brought it down, and Kenshin and Yahiko flew into action.

After the split second of furious action, the two figures of Kenshin and Yahiko became still. Kenji stared in surprise. After some time, Kaoru spoke up.

"Double hit…?" She said, incredulously. Indeed, Kenshin's sakabatou dug into Yahiko's side, but Yahiko's bokken had fallen at Kenshin's shoulder.

It was Yahiko, however, who fell first, sinking to the floor and clutching the place where Kenshin had hit him, shaking slightly. "Heh…" he said, half smirking, half grimacing. "I can't beat you."

Kenshin sheathed his sakabatou. "Yes," he said with a smile, "But that was a good strike. Can you get up?"

"Yeah. Barely." As Yahiko rose, groaning, Kaoru glanced in Kenshin's direction. He nodded.

"Yahiko."

Yahiko looked up to see Kenshin with his sakabatou, sheathed, held out before him. "Your _Genpaku_ gift. Take it!"

"What…?" Yahiko was shocked again. "Wait…" he said, "Wait a minute. I can't take that! Besides, I lost!"

"Winning or losing wasn't important," said Kenshin, with the sakabatou still extended. "It was whether you struck with your soul. This decision is based on that."

Tentatively, Yahiko extended a hand. "The sakabatou," continued Kenshin, "Is being passed to you." Yahiko took the sword, balancing it in his palm, feeling it's weight, both in it's physical form and in his memories.

"For a while," said Kaoru, "It will be heavy and hard to use… but train yourself to use it to your full extent."

"And one day," continued Kenshin, "surpass this one."

Yahiko smiled, understanding. "Yes!" He bowed his thanks, before dashing out the dojo's door, off to tell Tsubame at the Akabeko, off to prove himself worthy of Kenshin's gift. Kenshin and his little family watched him go.

"This… wraps it up." Broke in Kaoru.

"Yes."

"Are you sad to let go of the sword you held for fifteen years…?"

"A little," said Kenshin, reaching to take Kenji out of Kaoru's arms. "But the feeling of joy overwhelms it, so it's not that bad." He spoke to his tiny son, holding him at arms length. "Kenji. Let's work hard so you can have the sakabatou after Yahiko."

Kenji replied by pulling his father's bangs, and Kenshin laughed. "Oww. When will you get used to this one?"

Kaoru took Kenji out of Kenshin's hands again, watching him fondly. Thoughtfully, she raised a hand to Kenshin's cheek.

"The last time I visited Megumi-san in Aizu, she told me that sword wounds that come with strong feelings… don't fade until the feeling does. Your scar has become much lighter."

Kenshin smiled. Indeed, under Kaoru's fingers, the scar had lightened to a fragile white line. "Yes." Said Kenshin. "Yes, but it will probably never go away. Unable to use Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu, without the sakabatou… but this doesn't mean this one cannot fight any longer. The life of battles has not been lived out yet. This one will keep fighting under the vow to never kill again."

"Yes." Kaoru smiled thoughtfully. "You're right."

_But…_

"Kenshin?"

"Oro?" Kaoru took Kenji-chan's hand and patted Kenshin's shoulder with it.

"_**For now, get some rest."**_

O - W - A - R - I - - D - E - - G - O - Z - A - R – U - - Y – O

. . . .

I hope you liked it! I _really _hope you liked it, because I just spent the last hour doing it, it's pretty dang late (I don't really know 'cause the clock on my laptop's all messed up) and I have to get up for school tomorrow (not that early, really, Kaoru's just a lazy bum). Thank you very much for reading, and HUUUGE thank-you's to my reviewers Scarred Sword Heart, OnceInABlueMoon16, and RoseCrystal.

Yawns Yeah, I think I'll get some rest too.


End file.
